Supreme Court nominee Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg smiles at her husband Martin during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, July 20, 1993. Picture taken July 20, 1993. REUTERS/Gary Hershorn
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The city and country continue to mourn the loss of Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Brooklyn native and champion of women’s rights who died on Sept. 18 at the age of 87 following a long battle with pancreatic cancer.
Ginsburg’s death provoked a range of emotions among Americans — from an adoring appreciation for her life’s work in fighting inequality across the country; to fear and anger about who will replace her on the highest court in the land, and how soon that will occur.
Spontaneous vigils took place on the steps of the Supreme Court building in Washington, and at the New York Civil Court House in Foley Square, Manhattan, where mourners prayed the mourner’s kaddish, lit candles and honored Ginsburg’s memory.
They also voiced outrage over remarks by President Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky that they would seek to fill her vacant seat just 46 days removed from the 2020 presidential election — and four years after President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, was ignored by McConnell and his party because of the closeness of that year’s vote.
With the country wounded politically and spiritually, here’s a look back at Ginsburg’s life and how the nation has thus far reacted to her passing through images supplied by Reuters.
On the national stage
President Bill Clinton escorts his wife, then-First Lady Hillary Clinton, and newly named Supreme Court nominee Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg from the podium following the Rose Garden announcement at the White House June 14, 1993. REUTERS/Win McNamee/File PhotoSupreme Court nominee Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg sits in front Rep. Elanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Sen. Joe Biden, Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY), Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), and Sen. Alfonse D’Amato (R-NY) prior to the start of a her confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, July 20, 1993. Picture taken July 20, 1993. REUTERS/Gary HershornSupreme Court nominee Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her husband Martin stand as she has her picture taken by grandson Paul Spera during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, July 20, 1993. Picture taken July 20, 1993. REUTERS/Gary HershornPresident Bill Clinton reacts at a remark made by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who is on her way to the US Supreme Court as its second woman justice, during the news conference following Ginsburg’s Senate confirmation August 3, 1993. REUTERS/Gary Cameron/File PhotoSupreme Court nominee Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg speaks with Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, July 20, 1993. Picture taken July 20, 1993. REUTERS/Gary HershornThe first female supreme court justice, Sandra Day O’Connor (R), speaks as fellow Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg listens during a forum at the Newseum, in Washington, DC, April 11, 2012, to mark the 30th anniversary of O’Connor’s first term on the Supreme Court. REUTERS/Mike Theiler/File PhotoJustice Ginsburg and other associate justices pose for the first time with new Chief Justice John Roberts in this August 2005 picture. Among those pictured is Associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the very first female member of the Supreme Court. REUTERS/Jason ReedJustice Antonin Scalia (seated) poses next to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (L) and Justice Samuel Alito as Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States pose for a 2006 class photo inside the Supreme Court in Washington March 3, 2006. Scalia, a staunch conservative, and Ginsburg, a staunch liberal, were close friends until his death in 2016. REUTERS/Larry DowningAssociate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Ruth Bader Ginsburg sits during the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) naturalization ceremony at the New York Historical Society Museum and Library in Manhattan, New York, U.S., April 10, 2017. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File PhotoSupreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (L) hugs tenor Placido Domingo after Domingo sang a portion of Ginsburg’s citation for her honorary Doctor of Laws degree, during the 360th Commencement Exercises at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts May 26, 2011. Domingo also received an honorary Doctor of Music degree during the ceremony. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File PhotoU.S. President Barack Obama hugs Associate Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as the president arrives to deliver his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in Washington, January 12, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan ErnstFILE PHOTO: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is presented with an honorary doctoral degree at the University of Buffalo School of Law in Buffalo, New York, U.S., August 26, 2019. REUTERS/Lindsay DeDario/File PhotoSupreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg gives a tour of the collars she uses with her robes in courtroom sessions, in her chambers at the Supreme Court building in Washington, U.S. June 17, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo
Mourning her passing
An image of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Ruth Bader Ginsburg is projected onto the New York State Civil Supreme Court building in Manhattan, New York City, U.S. after she passed away September 18, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew KellyPeople gather in front of the U.S. Supreme Court following the death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, in Washington, U.S., September 18, 2020. REUTERS/Al DragoA woman waves a “Vote” sign as people gather outside of the U.S. Supreme Court following the death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, in Washington, U.S., September 18, 2020. REUTERS/Al DragoA man waves a rainbow flag as people gather outside of the U.S. Supreme Court following the death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, in Washington, U.S., September 18, 2020. REUTERS/Al DragoA placard depicting U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is displayed next to the U.S. Supreme Court, as people gather following her death, in Washington, U.S., September 19, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos BarriaA woman puts flower on a memorial altar as people gather in front of the U.S. Supreme Court following the death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, in Washington, U.S., September 19, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos BarriaA handmade tribute to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg stands outside the Law School at Harvard University, one day after her death, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, September 19, 2020. REUTERS/Brian SnyderA woman walks to lay flowers as people gather in front of the U.S. Supreme Court following the death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, in Washington, U.S., September 19, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos BarriaU.S. flag is seen at half mast as people gather in front of the U.S. Supreme Court following the death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, in Washington, U.S., September 19, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos BarriaPeople gather in front of the U.S. Supreme Court following the death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, in Washington, U.S., September 19, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos BarriaMembers of a neighboring family protest in their yard as demonstrators gather to oppose U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s plan to immediately vote on a replacement of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, outside his home, in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. September 19, 2020. REUTERS/Lawrence BryantPolice officers attempt to disperse a crowd of protesters gathered to oppose US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s plan to immediately vote on a replacement of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, outside his home, in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. September 19, 2020. REUTERS/Bryan WoolstonA person walks by a tribute created by artist thechalkjungle honoring recently passed Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Ruth Bader Ginsburg in Manhattan, New York City, U.S. September 19, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
